Tracks already overloaded

It comes as no surprise to those of us living within half a mile of the railway tracks through White Rock/Crescent Beach that coal-train traffic is at an all-time high.

We just have to go out and look at our cars, patio furniture, window ledges, etc. – covered in black, gritty dust – to know this is our new reality.

Add to that the train whistles blasting at all hours of the day and night, the lingering smell of diesel fumes, and the lengthy delays as we try to cross the tracks while waiting for a mile and a half of railway cars to pass, and we realize we are increasingly at the mercy of these behemoths, spewing more and more of their noise and air pollution into our once-peaceful, clean communities.

Six years ago, there were five to six trains per day; now there are 18. How did we let this happen without raising the caution flags?

Not only must we prevent further expansion of coal ports, we have to reverse the already-destructive levels of train traffic that now assault our neighborhoods.

Every area resident should have a “no coal” sign and write letters to governments and agencies that are either promoting or ignoring this expanding menace.